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Throw in another highly touted prospect
Jackson-Cartwright can be a liability defensively because of his size (5’10), but he’s the team’s best playmaker and another solid shooter (37.5 percent last year).There’s also 7-foot Serbian center Dusan Ristic, who gets his chance in the spotlight after acting as Kaleb Tarczewski’s understudy the last two years.Arizona also brings in the country’s No. 6 recruiting class -Buy NBA 2K17 MT- a group that could have been even better if five-star wing Terrance Ferguson didn’t decide to play pro ball in Australia. Finnish 7-footer Lauri Markkanen is the player everyone is talking about. He was great in FIBA U20 Europe this summer, leading the tournament in scoring with 24.9 points per game. He projects as a high-level shooter with good mobility who could be a top 10 NBA draft pick after this year if he lives up to the hype.New York-bred wing Rawle Alkins and 6’6 point guard Kobi Simmons are Arizona’s other five-star freshmen. Throw in another highly touted prospect in bouncy 6’8 forward Ray Smith, who debuts as a redshirt freshman after tearing his ACL last year, and Arizona is loaded with size, athleticism, and versatility on the perimeter.There’s no question this team has the pedigree to be in the national conversation. Miller’s challenge is getting his alpha dogs to share the ball and buy in defensively.NBA 2K17 MT If that happens, a fourth Pac-12 title is there for the taking. Last season was something of a holdover year for Arizona with Miller forced to rely on transfers because of so many early defections to the NBA. Players like Ryan Anderson and Mark Tollefsen did a nice job in their roles, but this year’s team should feel closer to the squads Miller took to consecutive Elite Eights in 2014 and 2015.Miller knows what he’s looking for on the recruiting trail: Versatile athletes who are bigger, stronger, and faster than the opponents across from them. Aaron Gordon, Stanley Johnson and Rondae Hollis-Jefferson set the bar high in that regard, and Alkins, Smith, and Simmons are hoping to follow their lead.Each of these players is like a raw ball of clay waiting to be molded by Miller. If they are ready to contribute, all three can slide up and down the lineup to give Arizona an abundance of unique looks.Alkins’ wide shoulders and strong 220-pound frame might remind Arizona fans of Johnson’s build; now Miller has to get him to defend the way Johnson did.NBA MT Coins Simmons looks like a lottery pick from the shoulders-down as an athletic 6’6 point guard. Miller’s job is to get him to think the game. Smith has torn his ACL in each knee since he last played basketball as a junior in high school. He might be the best long-term prospect of the three as a combo forward who plays above the rim.It will be fascinating to see how Miller manages his rotations. A five-man lineup of Markkanen-Smith-Alkins-Trier-Allen
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